Apparatus for treating hydrocarbon liquids



Jari. 3, 192s.

R. c.- KlRwlN APPARATUS FOR TREA'IING HYDROCARBQN LIQUIDS I Filed Oct. 9, 1925 mw .mui

J .1km Sigh@ INVENToR 4 .2km MQDRU NL. (Wl

yproducts of crude petroleum.

' has been ossible to imethods eretofore employed.

Patente! Jaim. y3, 192s.

UNITEDv STA-'rss PA'rYENr oFFicE.

' ROSCOE'C. KIRWIN, 0F CORAOPOLIS, I ENNSYLV-ANIA.

APPARATUS ron 'rim-.Arisme- HinizocAmioN Liouiiis.

l -`Application led October 9, 1925;- Serial No. 61,454.

`My invention relates to improvements inf Another object of myinvention is t'o provide an improved means .and `a method whereby crackingl of heavy hydrocarbons may be effectively accomplished, Without'the necessity of placing saidhydiocarbonsunl der pressure.

Another object of my invention is to profor morev effectively controlling vide means the temperature to which hydrocarbons are-f subjected during'lthecracking koperation and thereby secure a maximum percentage" or gasolene and thelike, and also to prevent *formation and precipitation of carbon within the cracking zone.

A It has been common practice heretofore-to heatcrude oil under pressure to effect cracking thereof. This method .results in the formation of unsaturated hydrocarbon gases that must be 'withdrawn from the' system,`A

since they cannot enter into' and .form part' of the body of-g'asolene. '.These gasesl are sometimes employed in' burners under a still but, when used as "fuel, are of ,less value than if incorporated in' the gasolene.

Pressure systems are also unsatisfactory owing to the diiliclilty of' maintaining proper j minimized by my system',

pressures yand temperatures, with the result that explosions `are .of frequent occurrence and the vapors often become overheated -and burn, thereby involving loss and also causing avdeposit of carbon within the system.k

Not lonly are'these objectionable features but Iv eliminate the necessity of employing eXtra apparatus .such

a sectional-view, on an e systems.

as expansion chambers and various control valves, etc., which are required in pressure Referringto the accompanying drawing,` Fig. 1 shows, diagrammatically, a system to which my finvention is a plicable;":Fig. 2 vis rged scale, of elec'- 'trical heating apparatps which I employ, and Fig. 3 is a still' rther 'enlar ed view. of one of the heating elements of i'gb2.

Fig. lof the drawing is a schematic arrangement which will be referred to for describing :the yvarious steps of the process. Crude oil vapors are directed, ,substantially at -atmos' .pheric pressure, froma crude oil still 3,

through the vapor line 4 and an electrically heated conduit 5, to a condenser 6. -The conduit 5 is horizontally disposed, so that vapors underlow pressure-will more readily How therethrough. From the condenser G the condensate passes'into a receiving ,house Z from whence it is 'conductedto a benzine tankS. A pump-9 forces the benzine fro-in tank 8, through a pipe connection lt), into a vsteam'stillll. In the steam. still 11 gasolenc vapors are formed and pass toa condenser .The gasolene asses from they condenser' l2 to a tan'kl'. `'he pressure, in all parts of the system, is preferably never at any time greatly in' excess of atmospheric pres'- l sure.

During the early stages ofi-operation, .the

residue Vthat remains in thesteam stillafter the gasolene has been-taken oif is kerosene.

This kerosene is returned tb the crude still A I 3 'for'urtlier vaporization, 'under increased temperature and again passes through the system as -above described, under low pressure. In thenal stages, a residue 'or precipitate isleft in the steam' still Il which is not capableJ offurther vapor-ization inthe crude" still. /This In'ateriahis withdrawn from the steam stillv and-may beA used as fuel oi1.-.v"` Y l While'attempts have heretofore been made to crack kerosene, for the purpose orl pro curing lighter hydrocarbon products there# from, such kcracking has been attempted-under high pressures, with the Vresult that inf condensible, unsaturated hydrocarbon gases lare formed.'

L, Within the conduit provide' .I electric heaters l15 each offewhich may consist of a refractory core 16 wound with resistance wire `17 that has terminal's'lS'thatjmay be connected to anyv suitablesource of electrical of mica or the like surrounds 'the wire 17 and core 16, while. a copper 'not shown. insulating cover 19 l.

rounds the mica covermge19. 'The insulating cover- 19 vandthe 'cylinder 20 together forni a. jacket'or protective covering for the 'v l 'wirefl to shield said wireagainst direct con`- tact with the j va. rs and.-thereby revent the formation o carbon deposits t ereon,

and overheating'of theva'pors that would i otherwise come into contact therewith. The y conduit .5 may;` provided wit consist of an iron pipe,and is .a' copper liner 21. I prefer-V ably make the heater coverng 20 andthe liner 21 'of copper sinceI such metal is a better heatconductor than steel or'iron, Aand the vapors which pass through the tubularliner 21 are -therefore more effectively and unibejalso of copper, and is so formed as to formly heated. lAdjacent to each end ofthe liner' 21, I provide a deflector 22 which may direct'the vapors into contact with the heat- -suitable means (not shown);l During the In the operation of my system, crude oilI isfvaporizcd4 in the crude still"3 `'by an any early stages of vaporization, itis mainly ben- 'zine vapors'th'at pass through the conduit 5 and are there condensed to form gasoline.

During this period offoperation', the residue 'withinthe steam still 1L is 4in the form of kerosene which may be 'returned to the crude still for vaporization.l

" When the benzine `has been distilled from the petroleumin 'the still 3, additional heat is applied, as is common practice. n The vapors which thereafter pass .through the conduit 5 are subjected'- to additional heat 'and itis. thenthat onejor both of the 'heaters are energized; Whenv these vapors have' been *condensed and pass ,'into the receiving house 7, tests are made periodically to determine the gravity thereof. I )the tests show a gravity in' execess of .that 'which is desired, heat'within the eonduit is' decreased byrel ducingl the flow-of current -through the heaters :15 by l means of rheostats', (not l current through the heaters 15 is increased.

I havefound that the'tem k' rature of the' vapors;4 when passing throu the conduit 5- gmaybe increasedfrom 25', .to 50 F. above* lthe temperature' within the crud'estill'., with' satis-factory results. `Thus, if the crudestillf 'f3-'iso eratd at temperatures ranging'from' 325"4 tof6259; F., theconduit -within the y conduit 5 in iaybe .accurately jcontrolled and vquickly changed in accordance with the Showing @fasts of theliqwuiatin the Vheated .sufficiently within thelconduit '5, 'to' insure a l'maximum cracking effect, while if receiving house. Thus the vapors may be tests of the liquid within the receiving house show .the gravity thereof too high and therefore indicate -that the temperature Within the conduit 5 is too great, with consequent dan ger of burning and c'arboni'zationl ofthe vapor,.the heat can be quickly reduced.

Tests made within the receivinghouse will show when thebenzne has all been distilled out-of. the crudeoil.- One or both of the' 4.heaters 15 is then. energized and thetem ra- "ture of such ,heaters as Ivvelly as that f. the

crudefstilllis' thereafter gradually increased as the more-volatile materials are distilled from the .crude-Foil.

Tests which-I- have made with my system i `showan increase of 1,5% or more in gasoline.

yield, ovei` the systems heretofore lcommonly L 1.lv The combination with 1 a crude oil still san'e, andaheatingelement within .said c onduit, saidk heating. element being` provided with a non-corrodible cover.-

2. Thev combination with a vcrude oil still and a condenser, of 4a conduit connecting the same, anda heatmg element .within said coul.

duit, the said heating v element being-provided with a copper cover.

and alcondenser, of a 4conduit :connecting Athesame, a heating element within said conduit, said 'heating .element being provided' with' a` non-corrodible cover,and` a confining wall.

of non-"corrodible metall surrounding said' heating element but' spaced with respect.

'permit passageof vapor there-"[160 y 1.. The combination lwith t rudebi1 sau and a Acondenser, of alconduit-connecting-the thereto, to betweenaj* saine, a 'heating' element 'within vsaid conduit"` Iand 1a jacket' surrounding the heating ele-` ment'and'` spaced from-the inner .wall of the' e conduit,fsa1dj.j cket serving to protect theheating. element against` contact of the Avaf pors romthe still'.

In'te'stimony.. whereof I, the said Roscon .Roscoel o knwm. i

.and a condenser, of a'conduit connecting thei A 3.. The combination with la crude @i1 Stili 

